Rising Challenges Both Foreign, Domestic: Why Trump Still Has Reason to Celebrate

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, but he says this is no vacation as his administration faces challenges both abroad and at home. 
 
Among those challenges is restoring order within the West Wing. 
 
On Friday, new chief of staff John Kelly gathered about 200 White House aides for a meeting where he warned them against leaks. Bloomberg reports he told them they all work for the President and have to act as one team. 

Good News on Russia, North Korea?

There's also the ongoing Russia probe where the White House got some good news. 
 
Some have criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller for overreaching and looking into areas beyond where they think he should, but Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein says Mueller understands there are limits to the scope of his investigation. 
 
"The special counsel is subject to the rules and regulations of the Department of Justice. We don't engage in fishing expeditions," told Fox News. 
 
The Trump administration also scored a big foreign policy win over the weekend. 
 
The U.N. Security Council unanimously voted to sanction North Korea. The resolution was drafted by the U.S. and negotiated with China, North Korea's neighbor and ally. 
 
The measure punishes the regime for its growing nuclear and missile program, banning coal and other exports.

"This is the most stringent set of sanctions on any country in a generation," U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council after Saturday's vote. "These sanctions will cut deep and in doing so, will give the North Korean leadership a taste of the deprivation they have chosen to inflict on the North Korean people."

U.S. Economy Bouncing Back

And perhaps most importantly, here at home the economy is bouncing back, growing at 2.6 percent — an improvement but still short of Trump's goal of 3 percent.

Looking ahead, the president is hoping to cut business and individual tax rates to help get the economy growing strongly again after years of weakness.

Of course, he's going to need Congress to do this. When Trump gets back from his working vacation, Republicans in the House and Senate will have to pass a bill so he can sign it.

Economist Stephen Moore offers analysis on the Trump economy and what needs to be done to make it even better: